Acceptance Practice

We can easily get stuck in our head which is where the pain and suffering can grow and we can lose sight of being grounded in the present moment. The theme of this practice is Acceptance. Eckhart Tolle describes acceptance as: “for now this is what this situation, this moment, requires me to do and so I do it willingly."

Transcript

This meditation was probably the hardest one I have written thus far,

And my hope is that you find your own learning from the discussion.

We recently had to put our family dog down.

He was in kidney failure and was suffering from arthritis.

He was almost 17 years old.

And it was time,

However explaining that to my 15 year old daughter,

Who loved him dearly,

Was really hard.

Teaching the concept of acceptance is a tough one.

It certainly has been a struggle for me too,

Specifically as it relates to loss and death.

My mother passed away when I was a young girl,

And I must say this is probably the most difficult concept for me to grasp in my meditation journey.

I can easily get stuck in my head on this one,

Which is where the pain and suffering can grow,

And where I lose sight of being grounded in the present moment.

Eckhart Tolle describes three states of being.

Acceptance,

Enjoyment,

Enthusiasm.

Acceptance means,

For now,

This is what the situation,

This moment,

Requires me to do,

And so I do it willingly.

Enjoyment means the peace that comes with surrendered action turns to a sense of aliveness when you actually enjoy what you are doing.

Enthusiasm means there is a deep enjoyment in what you do plus the added element of a goal or a vision that you work towards.

Enjoyment and enthusiasm are straightforward,

But acceptance is the one that is a little more difficult for me.

Accepting my mother's death.

I have to admit saying the words out loud are still difficult,

Even after all these years.

If given the choice,

I would have always chosen a life with my mother instead of one without.

So coming to terms with it and getting to a state of acceptance is clearly one of my life lessons.

Meditation has definitely helped me in my healing journey.

It is a work in progress and some days are easier than others.

Things come up in everyday life that bring up the past and meditation helps me to stay grounded in the present moment.

It is important to remember we cannot always be in a constant state of enjoyment or enthusiasm.

That is not sustainable.

And when we try to force the situation,

We end up creating more suffering.

I continue to have these life lessons or whispers of insight that always seem to connect back to meditation time and time again.

I believe for me acceptance is one of those life lessons and part of my meditation journey.

Meditation is a practice and it takes practice.

I have spent time in therapy over the years working through and healing from the loss of my mother.

And I know it is a crucial part of the grief process.

But it always felt like something was missing,

Like it wasn't quite enough.

I initially thought it was the void of my mother not being here.

What meditation has helped me to understand is that it was more about me being stuck in my head and stuck in the past.

I was replaying a story over and over again trying to think my way through the situation.

Meditation is not a way to escape your problems.

You still have to work through the grief.

But it does open up to the opportunity to drop the narrative of the pain and instead focus on the feeling itself.

One of the concepts I've learned through meditation is that of noble silence.

Noble silence can be described as healing.

The calming silence helps us to see things more clearly and therefore to be in deeper contact with ourselves and those around us.

So before we move on to the meditation,

I just want to close with no matter what is currently going on in your life,

Just remember to be kind to yourself.

Try cultivating some compassion for yourself.

And remember acceptance means for now this is what this situation,

This moment requires you to do and try to do it willingly.

I will now take you through a guided meditation and at the end of the meditation you will hear a soft bell.

It is important to come out of the meditation slowly and take your time.

There is no rush.

I will be here guiding you through the entire process.

The theme of this meditation is acceptance.

Mindfulness is about engaging your attention in the present moment on what you are experiencing without judgment.

Let us center our attention and bring awareness to the present moment.

Let us center our attention and bring awareness to acceptance.

Explore this meditation with mindful curiosity as you become mindful of your body,

Mindful of the environment,

Mindful of your acceptance.

And as you maintain a gentle present moment focus,

Start by finding a comfortable position and let us settle into our breath.

Existing your feet flat on the ground with your hands laying comfortably in your lap.

Closing your eyes if you prefer and become present,

Still and relaxed in this moment.

Observe the sensations of the body and notice what you are thinking.

Observe the acceptance of this present moment.

As you become more relaxed,

Notice the chatter of your mind starting to quiet.

When your mind wanders,

Come back to the acceptance of this present moment.

Being mindful of anything getting in your way and let it go on the next exhale breath.

Gently release any tension you notice.

Letting go of anything that might be getting in the way of you being here in this present moment.

Letting go of anything that you might be struggling to accept.

Remembering it's okay to have thoughts and when a thought occurs simply notice the thought without judgment and then let the thought go on the exhale breath.

Allowing each area of your body to settle into the breath.

Allowing each area of your body to settle into the stillness.

Allowing each area of your body to settle into the noble silence.

Allowing each area of your body to settle into acceptance.

Explore the sensations in your body mindfully with curiosity and without judgment.

Mindfully engaging your attention in the present moment on what you are experiencing without judgment.

For this meditation let us welcome everything.

For this meditation simply let go of any expectations.

At any point during this meditation if your mind starts to wander simply come back to your breath as an anchor of focus.

Remembering to be kind to yourself.

If there is unhappiness in you then investigate it.

Notice where you feel the unhappiness in your body.

Listen without having an answer.

Settle into the peace that is always available within you.

Breathe into the acceptance.

Allow suffering to be and then let it pass on the exhale breath.

Cultivate compassion for yourself.

Acceptance means for now this is what this situation,

This moment requires you to do and do it willingly.

We will take the next few moments in silence giving you the opportunity to continue to focus your breath as you mindfully maintain a gentle present moment focus.

I will keep track of the time as we take these moments of silence together.

Keep your eyes closed as we integrate back from the meditation.

Start by wiggling your toes and fingers or any other part of your body that feels right to you.

Take as much time as you need to come out of the meditation slowly and mindfully.

And when you are ready you can open your eyes.

Thank you for joining me in this meditation and I hope you enjoyed the experience.

May we honor the light,

Love,

Truth,

Beauty and peace in all of us.

Namaste.

Reviews

This was one of the most authentic, honest meditations. The personal dialogue made it easy for me to engage.

Thank you. Great talk and meditation. Thanks for sharing some of your personal experiences. That was kind and helpful.

Such a great and much-needed meditation. Thank you!!

Lovely experience

Very soothing, thank you 🙏🏼

Very helpful meditation, thank you for sharing! 🙏💗